In his work on the factors impacting policy development and implementation, the policy process theorist Paul Sabatier argues that when an issue emerges, which requires a policy response, formal and informal coalitions form around how that issue is to be construed and, consequently, what constitutes a meaningful solution. His advocacy coalition framework (ACF) suggests that coalitions articulating alternative policy responses will emerge from a wide spectrum of actors; this can, inevitably, lead to dissent. Dissent can take many forms. It may reveal itself as protest and civil disobedience, small acts of non-compliance, as well as subversion or sabotage by those engaged in the implementation of a policy recommendation. In this special issue, the connections between dissent and policy research in tourism, leisure and events will be explored. Though not limited to these questions, we are particularly interested in asking:
- What role does dissent play in policy formation; implementation and critique?
- What constitutes dissent for those engaged in tourism, leisure and events research?
- How are we, as researchers, to investigate dissent?
- Can policy research in tourism, leisure and events be an act of dissent?
- What place does agonistic democracy, and the associated concepts of consensus and dissensus, have in research on the relationship between dissent and the policy processes?
How to submit your paper
Expressions of interest, in the form of an abstract, should be sent to Dr Ian Lamond by 15th December 2015. Full papers by 1st March 2016
Full instructions for authors can be found on the Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure & Events website.
Accepted papers will be published online once accepted. They will, therefore, become available prior to the publication of the special issue.
Editorial information
- Guest Editor: Ian Lamond, Leeds Beckett University (i.lamond@leedsbeckett.ac.uk)
